A/HRC/41/18 1 January and 12 May 2019.29 However, according to the non-governmental organization Observatorio Venezolano de la Conflictividad Social, 9,787 protests took place in 2017; 12,715 in 2018; and 9,715 between 1 January and 31 May 2019. 30 In 2019, security forces did not resort to excessive force during all demonstrations. Nonetheless, during certain political protests, the Bolivarian National Guard, the Bolivarian National Police and its Special Action Forces, and some State and municipal police forces allegedly used excessive force deliberately, to instil fear and discourage further demonstrations. The armed colectivos also resorted to violence against demonstrators, often in coordination with security forces. In many cases, these actions resulted in deaths and serious injuries. 40. According to the Government, there were no deaths during demonstrations in 2018. It reported that 29 persons were killed between January and May 2019. 31 However, the Observatorio Venezolano de la Conflictividad Social reported 14 deaths in the context of demonstrations in 201832 and OHCHR documented 66 deaths between January and May 2019. Many demonstrators were arbitrarily detained and ill-treated or tortured. Security forces also conducted illegal house-raids targeting demonstrators. 4. Arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment 41. According to the non-governmental organization Foro Penal Venezolano, at least 15,045 persons were detained for political reasons between January 2014 and May 2019. Among them, 527 were detained in 2018 and 2,091 between January and May 2019. The majority of them were detained in the context of demonstrations against the Government. By 31 May 2019, 793 persons remained arbitrarily deprived of their liberty, 1,437 persons had been released unconditionally and 8,598 had been conditionally released and were still facing lengthy criminal proceedings.33 The rest were released without having been brought before a judge. Some of them have left the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for fear of being arrested again. OHCHR considers that the Government has used arbitrary detentions as one of the principal means to intimidate and repress the political opposition and any real or perceived expression of dissent since at least 2014. 42. OHCHR was able to collect detailed information on 135 people (23 women and 112 men) arbitrarily deprived of their liberty between 2014 and 2019. Among them, 23 were arrested in 2018 and 8 in 2019. Some of these cases constituted enforced disappearances until the authorities revealed the whereabouts of the individuals’ days or weeks after their arrests. In most cases, people were detained for exercising their fundamental rights, particularly freedom of opinion, expression, association and peaceful assembly. The detentions often had no legal basis. OHCHR also identified serious and repeated violations of the right to a fair trial in each of these cases. None of the victims interviewed who had been released have received remedies for the violations suffered as a result of their arbitrary detention. 43. In most cases, detainees, both women and men, were subjected to one or more forms of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including electric shocks, suffocation with plastic bags, waterboarding, beatings, sexual violence, water and food deprivation, stress positions and exposure to extreme temperatures. Security forces and intelligence services, particularly the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service and the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence, routinely resort to such practices to extract information and confessions, to intimidate and to punish the detainees. The authorities have failed to conduct prompt, effective, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment, including sexual and gender-based violence, in order to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice and to provide reparation to the victims. In particular, judicial authorities have often reversed the burden of proof by refusing to open investigations if the victims did not identify 29 30 31 32 33 Information provided by the Government. Observatorio Venezolano de la Conflictividad Social, see www.observatoriodeconflictos.org.ve. OHCHR received conflicting information from the Government regarding the number of deaths. Observatorio Venezolano de la Conflictividad Social. Information provided by the non-governmental organization Foro Penal Venezolano. 9